Vitamin D May Lower Blacks’ Blood Pressure

Vitamin D pills may help reduce blood pressure in blacks, a new study suggests. Many blacks have low blood levels of vitamin D. With darker skin, less sunlight is available for the body to use to make vitamin D. Blacks also are more likely to have high blood pressure than whites. The study included 250 African-American adults. They were randomly divided into 4 groups. Three of the groups received daily vitamin D pills, in different doses. The fourth group took placebo (fake) pills. Three months later, researchers checked their blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure had dropped by 4 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) for people taking the largest vitamin D dose, 4,000 international units (IU). It fell 3.4 mmHg for those taking 2,000 IU. The drop was 0.7 mmHg for the smallest dose, 1,000 IU. Systolic pressure rose 1.7 mmHg for those who got placebo pills.